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Oasis of the Seas Barcelona - Italy - Barcelona Live Review?

novicetraveller
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novicetraveller

novicetraveller

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Day 4 - Embarkation day.

 

I'll be boarding the smallest ship in the world that RCCL has to offer. The Oasis of the Seas. She can only hand 6,000+ people. Not a lot really.

 

I am a bit nervous about going on the Oasis, as I am sure I will be comparing her to the Allure of the Seas (features, shows, etc. etc). Also this will be my first cruise as a Platinum and also since RCCL introduced the double points for solo cruisers. (Did I neglect to say I am a Solo cruiser? Oops!)

 

Earlier in this thread someone had mentioned about getting the T3 bus to the port. After some much research, it turns out that the bus stop for the T3 is a few minutes away from the B&B and is on the same road. (If that isn't reason enough to chose this B&B in itself, I am not sure what is!!!)

 

I woke up this morning with my blood sugars at 5.6 mmol/l. For those die hard Americans who follow the mg/dl system for their diabetes care, it is around 100.90192 mg/dl. I am sure there are other measurements out there, but I am not going to spend time working it out. (Sorry!)

 

The point that I am making above with my blood sugars, if you are looking for a Pasta place that is Diabetes friendly, please consider the Pasta Bar. If you are allergic to eggs or are not permitted to eat eggs for religious or personal reasons, this place isn't for you. The Pasta is made and cooked fresh, as is the pasta sauce. My only comment / complaint is that the chef / cook doesn't use fresh pans when heating up the Pasta Sauce (So if your religious views prevent you from eating food from the saucepan where meat products are made, this place isn't for you). However, for me this is a minor issue and didn't prevent me from being able to eat the food there.

 

I wish I had 3 or 4 more days in Barcelona to do some more exploring, including Montserrat. However, the weather a few days leading up to my arrival to Barcelona wasn't great. I will be back in Barcelona (other than when I disembark from the cruise) hopefully next year to do some more sightseeing and wildlife photography.

 

More images will be uploaded to my page on that well known social media site that I can't mention here and will be added to my post cruise review.

 

Before I forget, the flights, Hotel and transfers were booked independently from RCCL.

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Alter Ego

Alter Ego

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Beautiful photos - I wish I had stalked your thread so that I may have had the idea to do something like this. I think I mentioned I'm following you on the 18th on the Oasis. This will be my 1st time visiting Barcelona, and I'm staying pretty much city-bound (except for 1/2 day Montserrat.) However, although I'm not a big photographer, my last 2 vacations were wildlife related, so I think I would have liked the Pyrenees.

 

Looking forward to your Oasis comments. I am also traveling solo.

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novicetraveller

novicetraveller

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Beautiful photos - I wish I had stalked your thread so that I may have had the idea to do something like this. I think I mentioned I'm following you on the 18th on the Oasis. This will be my 1st time visiting Barcelona, and I'm staying pretty much city-bound (except for 1/2 day Montserrat.) However, although I'm not a big photographer, my last 2 vacations were wildlife related, so I think I would have liked the Pyrenees.

 

Looking forward to your Oasis comments. I am also traveling solo.

 

Hi Alter Ego. Thanks for your comments. If you are able to change your plans, it would be worth going to the Pyrenees, just to see it if anything else. I admit that you are doing an excursion I wish I had time to do this time around (Montserrat).

 

This is my first time in Barcelona as well. I am an amateur photographer, so this is very much a hobby for me. Wildlife photography, Portraiture and Street Photography are 2 things that define me as a photographer. So I am very much in my element on this trip.

 

If you ever get the chance to go to the Pyrenees, I would suggest doing the Hiking route if you can and admire the Waterfalls. I wish I could do some hiking, but my fitness level and issues with Vertigo would put me at an extreme disadvantage.

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novicetraveller

novicetraveller

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Right... my last FAQ for Barcelona before I board the smallest ship in the world. Some people call it a boat, I would put it in the Dingy Class.

 

There is an Irish Pub in Old Barcelona.

 

There are night clubs in Old Barcelona.

 

If you venture out in La Rambla at night, you might find some someone looking to offer some extras, especially if you are gent. Also, pickpocketing occurs on this street. For this reason, I avoided La Rambla, as I don't want to spoil my holiday. There is no guarantee of being a target, but not worth the chance.

 

You might see some people sleeping rough on the streets. I don't think these are homeless people, but people who enjoyed a night out a little too much.

 

Only carry what you essentially need when you leave your hotel room. If you don't need to take your wallet, leave it at home.

 

If your Payment Card supports Wireless / Contactless payments (which is being rolled out in Europe), you might be able to use it here. But you may want to check with your bank beforehand.

 

It is worth staying in Barcelona a few days before the cruise in order to enjoy the local atmosphere and sights.

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novicetraveller

novicetraveller

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I am on the Oasis of the Seas. I opted to take the cab to the port. The approximate cost was 14 euros including the port tax.

 

I arrived approximately 11am and the Platinum queue was shorter than the Diamond queue. As soon as I checked in, I was allowed on the ship. No waiting times.

 

Headed to Park Cafe which is practically empty at the time of writing.

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novicetraveller

novicetraveller

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Day 4 - Day 1 on the Oasis of the Seas.

 

As per my previous post, I arrived at approximately 10:30am - 11am at the Port Terminal. It is a short journey, but there was some traffic on the way, mainly on the bridge leading to the port. A lot of people in the Taxi's were taking pictures as well as people posing in front of the ship and having their pictures taken.

 

Check in was painless and straight forward, and makes Fort Lauderdale look complicated and cumbersome.

 

I had lunch in Park Cafe. It was practically empty. This was something I was not used to in Park Cafe on my previous cruises on the Allure of the Seas.

 

I would like to apologise for some posts I had made a while back where I made the ascertain that there would be no flowers / plants / trees in Central Park. I stand corrected and there were some plants and trees in Central Park. The flowers appear to be European in origin. I can only speculate that they were planted whilst the Oasis was either in Barcelona or within a few days of arriving. My comments were based on my understanding from what some staff had said when I did the walking tour through Central Park on a previous cruise.

 

The Muster Drill took place approximately 5:30pm with the expected departure time of 7pm, which conflicted with my dinner.

 

Talking of dinner, just before I went to dinner, I noticed that my Sea Pass lacked a table number, even though I booked the cruise about a year ago. The issue was remedied by going to the dinning room on Deck 3 to get a table assigned. It took them about 5 to 10 minutes to find a table for me to sit on.

 

The table I was assigned was accompanied by 2 sisters from the US who are doing a B2B from Fort Lauderdale all the way to Rotterdam, spending 2 weeks in the area and then doing a B2B back to Fort Lauderdale. One of the ladies is working on getting her Pinnacle status. Now that is commitment for you!

 

The dinner menu is as per what to expect on a 7 day cruise.

 

I saw Hairspray today on the cruise. Some slight differences (albeit shorter) compared to the TV version, but I guess that is to be expected.

 

I will try and get some images uploaded tomorrow, but today is just a "Get used to the Oasis" day.

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novicetraveller

novicetraveller

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Today is Sea day on the Oasis of the Seas. It was also my first visit to the upper tier event. To be honest, it was a bit rushed for my liking, but it's free, so shall not complain any further.

 

Tonight is Formal Night. As some of you have already aware, it's more a "Suggested" rather than enforced. I'll be getting my picture with the Captain done tonight. Other than getting my pictures taken on the port (showing the location with the ship in the background), I won't be getting any more images of me done.

 

After the Upper Tier event, I went to the Future Cruise Room and booked my holiday for April 2016. I was a bit unsure about Quantum Class ship and had mostly avoided the hype since it was announced, but I decided to take the plunge and do the Southern Caribbean itinerary on the Anthem. I will probably do some research at some point and look closer at the comments from those who have travelled on the ship. It will also be my first booking direct with RCCL rather than a travel agent.

 

Whilst some travel agent do add value to a booking, I sometimes feel that when my account manager is away, nobody else wants to help. This could be an issue if an upgrade is available that I want to take advantage of but will miss out on the opportunity. I will also be getting an OBC of $200, which I admit isn't great, but it's better than nothing.

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novicetraveller

novicetraveller

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Day 5 - Day 2 on the Cruise.

 

Today was Sea day. I attended the Higher Tier event. Apart from the free Fruit Punch, it was a little disappointing, as I expected a little more in terms of a presentation. The diving act was good, but nothing else was worth the time.

 

I also met up with a few people from the Roll Call prior to the Higher Tier event. Some nice people. I would have loved to have met up with some more from my Roll Call, but I fear that I may not have the opportunity before the end of the cruise.

 

Most of the day was a bit relaxed. Didn't do much. I forgot to go to one of the events that I booked for earlier in the day, but am not overly worried as I am sure I will be back on the Oasis at some point in the future, wherever she ends up.

 

I decided to cancel my original Excursion that I booked via RCCL's website and went for something less active due to a swelling in my ankle (it's ok, it's just a mild reaction to one of my Blood Pressure Tables and it's one of those things that come and go). I'll mention the details in my update on Day 6 of my holiday).

 

Dinner was the 1 and only Formal night for the week. The vegetarian options was somewhat lacking, but was ok. I didn't have desert today as I wasn't hungry enough to eat it. We also had 2 new guests on our table who spend around 6 months a year cruising. (Sorry, I forget their names!).

 

Went to the Oasis of Dreams show, on which I took some photos which I will upload when I get the chance.

 

I went to the Casino tonight, as I have done on a couple of occasions previously. I managed to recover all the money (minus the 5% charge) that I spent in the Casino. For the first time in any of my cruises, I am in credit on my SeaPass Account. I can't allow that to continue, a tradition needs to be kept!

 

Not much more to say today, other than it's Port day tomorrow. As they say, when in Rome do what Romans do. Sadly, I forgot to pack my robe and crown.

 

Have a pleasant evening / night and will provide an update tomorrow.

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